SpaceX shares first views of polar regions from Crew Dragon

SpaceX has just shared a video from the Fram2 mission, which has become the first-ever crewed flight to take a polar orbit.

The footage (below), captured by a camera attached to the opened nose cone of the Crew Dragon spacecraft about 265 miles up, features stunning scenery from the iciest regions on the planet. It also shows the Crew Dragon’s cupola window that offers the crew dramatic panoramic views of Earth and beyond. 

The Fram2 mission, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, is funded  by Chinese-born Chun Wang. Traveling alongside Wang is Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australian polar explorer Eric Philips, and German robotics engineer Rabea Rogge. 

The Fram2’s polar orbit has a 90-degree inclination, meaning that it’s perpendicular to the equator. Unlike most crewed spaceflights, which follow orbits that avoid the poles, Fram2’s trajectory takes it directly over the polar regions, enabling unique observations rarely seen by space crews. In other words, their views out of the Crew Dragon’s cupola will be remarkably different to those enjoyed by the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The mission is expected to last until the end of this week. While in orbit, the crew will conduct 22 research studies aimed at enhancing astrontaut capabilities for long-duration space missions, while also gathering data to see how space travel impacts human health. They’ll also spend much of their time bobbing about the Crew Dragon capsule in microgravity conditions. 

Notably, following splashdown, the crew is planning to exit from the spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, an exercise that will enable researchers to assess the ability of astronauts to perform tasks unassisted at the end of a space mission. 

This is the third SpaceX mission that’s not involved a visit to the ISS. The first was Inspiration4 in 2021, followed by Polaris Dawn last year. Both were funded by American entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who was recently nominated by President Trump to become the next NASA chief.